Artificial Love, Authentic Fear: Obsession Exposes the Darkside of Gen-Z Romance

Obsession has taken audiences by storm, grossing over $300 million at the box office worldwide on a $750,000 production budget. Impressive, to say the least. Obsession’s popularity is evidence of the success of its terrifying story and also of the message it has left for audiences to decipher and reflect on. Theories, easter eggs, interpretations, and even politics have colored the swirling debates of Obsession on the internet. Was Nikki possessed by Bear’s cat? Is Bear the villain? Is the film meant to be funny? Is it a commentary on toxic masculinity? On mental illness? These conversations are proof of the relevance of Obsession–a film that targeted an audience and a social landscape that empathized with its message on a very personal level. 

Curry Barker, the writer and director of Obsession, made his creative start on his sketch-comedy YouTube channel “That’s a Bad Idea,” as well as on a low-budget thriller film he released on YouTube titled Milk and Serial. Without a doubt, Barker’s background as a young Gen-Z horror filmmaker equipped him with the tools to harness the thriller genre and execute both terrifying cinematography and a substantive narrative. Barker has, in my opinion, done something quite unique throughout his works: He has manipulated a genre of film that is often used simply as entertainment, inviting audiences to explore the what-ifs; to imagine apocalypses, demonic possession, and other manifestations of fear. However, Obsession does more. Curry Barker uses the horror of the uncanny valley to reference the presence of artificial intelligence in our world and to demonstrate how technology reinforces unhealthy fantasies about love. Through Bear’s wish for Nikki to love him, Barker examines the “nice-guy” mentality and Gen-Z’s avoidance of vulnerability, revealing how male entitlement can transform women into gendered stereotypes. In essence, Obsession shows what happens when we lose genuine human connection in favor of the illusion of control and avoidance of confrontation, something that has become especially prevalent with the rise of AI. And, of course, at its core, Obsession is terrifyingly entertaining.

In one scene, Nikki stands in the corner of Bear’s bedroom, watching him sleep. Her face stares through the darkness, not quite human, her body moves stiffly and unnaturally. Barker’s use of the uncanny valley, a phenomenon where something seems nearly human but is slightly off, is a major horror element of the film. Fascination with the uncanny valley has increased recently with the rise of artificial intelligence mimicking humans. Barker found success by using the uncanny valley to portray wish-Nikki, drawing audiences in through fascination with a very real phenomenon in our current world. For me, using the uncanny valley to portray Nikki was the main aspect of cinematic horror because, as we watched her mimic human action (Nikki dresses as Sara at the very end), and sometimes getting confused and disoriented (Nikki says that her cat died and quickly backtracks to say that it was actually Bears cat who died), it became increasingly clear that wish-Nikki is not “normal.” These moments reveal how wish-Nikki is robotic in nature as she tries to mold herself to be Bear’s perfect match. This brings to mind the concept of machine learning, the foundation of artificial intelligence that learns and adapts from examples and data to try to seem natural. Nikki stands by the door all day, waiting for Bear to get home, and when he does, she realizes that Bear thinks she is acting strange and immediately tries to correct it. Moments such as these point the audience towards the presence of non-human humanoids that can trick us into thinking they are human, an issue we are currently grappling with during the rise of AI. Thus, wish-Nikki’s horror references, and is enhanced by, an already manifested fear of the human-like. But there is more to it than that. 

Viewers are left wondering what wish-Nikki is and why she acts this way. This is purposefully left somewhat unclear. In an interview with Collider, director Curry Barker says, “We were very specific,…I didn’t ever want [Nikki] to be possessed.” Typically, in thriller films, possession, demonic presence, and the paranormal are big factors of the horror. Films often focus on unknown entities interfering with human life. However, Barker clearly veers away from possession and instead says that he wants to portray “a jealous girlfriend, I never wanted her to be too…angry, we always wanted to play whiny.” Barker distinguishes that wish-Nikki is supposed to be human in nature, the obsessed girlfriend, not a demonic entity. Although there is no single explanation, it seems like wish-Nikki is simply the version of Nikki that loves Bear. However, since that version does not actually exist outside the wish, wish-Nikki must learn to be in love with Bear. The artificiality of wish-Nikki is a metaphor for modern technology, which reveals its limits and failings. Barker uses Nikki’s inhuman behavior to expose how, ultimately, AI can’t replicate human emotions such as love and obsession. Despite his wish, Nikki is unable to produce true feelings for Bear, and Bear is never satisfied with her affection because he knows it’s not real. Bear’s wish reveals how forced love strips someone of their autonomy until they become little more than a projection of another person’s desires, much like how AI can never create a genuine human connection, only mimic one. 

Barker infuses Obsession with horror in creative ways, however, he confirms that the film is ultimately a reflection on obsessive, codependent relationship dynamics. He remarks that his original idea was about an obsessed person in a codependent relationship and how that could be a thriller in itself. But “it didn’t have anything to do with a wish.” The wish came later as a tool to harness the horror. Barker reveals that he is exploring human relationships and how relationship dynamics play out. So, if you were left with the feeling that Obsession was trying to tell you something deeper about Bear and Nikki’s relationship, other than “freaky Nikki,” then you were right. But what is it exactly that Barker is trying to say through Obsession? 

A few times throughout the film, the issue of Bear taking advantage of Nikki is questioned. After the first night Nikki and Bear spend together following the wish taking effect, Nikki shows up at Bear’s house and apologizes for acting strangely, reassuring him that he had not taken advantage of her the night before. Bear’s defensiveness at the mention of consent hints that he knows, even before he fully understands the wish, that what he is doing is wrong–the first warning of his manipulative nature. At this point, he isn’t certain about the wish’s effect, but suspects that something strange has happened to Nikki. However, as their relationship progresses, it becomes clear to Bear that Nikki is under a love spell caused by his wish. Yet he chooses to ignore the reality of the situation, continuing to exploit Nikki to fulfill his desire for a relationship with her. Even when real-Nikki breaks through wish-Nikki, asking Bear to kill her, Bear responds in his sensitive, insecure manner, “What’s so bad about being with me?” to which real-Nikki responds in anguish, “I was never with you, Bear.” Instead of being horrified that Nikki confirms she is trapped by his wish and unwillingly acting as Bear’s infatuated girlfriend, Bear is offended and hurt that Nikki doesn’t want to be with him. So he ignores her, ultimately keeping her trapped, even as she commits acts of violence against herself and others. There is no doubt that Bear is now taking advantage of Nikki and is very much aware of it, yet continues to make excuses for himself to hide the truth. 

Bear’s actions towards Nikki are horrible and disgusting, but even worse is his self-victimization. He hides behind the nice-guy persona–sensitive, kind, harmless. He uses this persona to convince himself and those around him that what he is doing is okay, that he is helping Nikki, that he is the victim of her crazy obsession. He even convinces the audience to a certain degree. I watched the movie twice in theaters, once to be scared by it and once to really take it in. The second time I saw it, I noticed the reaction of the other people in the movie theater. Throughout the whole movie, people were laughing. And not just an uncomfortable chuckle here and there, but full-out laughing at the scenes of Nikki’s ridiculous, “obsessed” behavior, as if we were watching a comedy. I was initially appalled by this reaction, but  I have since realized that the audience’s laughter is a symptom of Bear’s manipulation. Barker structures the film through Bear’s perspective. We laugh at Nikki because Bear has taught us to see her as irrational. However, that laughter depends upon accepting the same narrative Bear tells himself–that he is merely the victim of an unstable woman. In reality, Bear is the villain of the story because he trapped Nikki for his own selfish obsession. 

The horror, then, is not only Bear’s manipulation of Nikki, but Barker’s temporary manipulation of us. The reaction of laughter is very telling of what I believe the film does best. It plays out real-world dynamics in exaggerated ways. The film acts as a test to see whether the audience can see the problem or is the problem.

Bear and Nikki are part of a generation navigating the wake of the #MeToo movement and a growing intolerance for outward misogyny, sexual coercion, and toxic masculinity. Bear represents the trope of the “nice guy.” Rather than presenting Bear as an obvious predator or a stereotypical “womanizer,” Obsession explores a more subtle form of manipulation. He is sweet, he buys gifts for Nikki, and he tries to show her his feelings, but is too afraid to confess them himself. He lacks the confidence possessed by his friend Ian, who embodies a more traditional masculine persona and whom Bear later discovers has been hooking up with Nikki. Bear appears quiet, shy, and emotionally vulnerable, the kind of guy who seems incapable of causing harm. However, this shyness and niceness manifest as self-victimization, making Bear feel entitled to Nikki’s feelings because he defies the norm of toxic masculinity. The film initially encourages us to sympathize with Bear’s vulnerability since we are watching through his perspective. But gradually, Barker shows how Bear’s “nice guy” persona disguises manipulation, making Nikki appear crazy and irrational. 

Barker conjures up this story by tapping into a distinctly Gen-Z phenomenon: The fear of confrontation. In an age shaped by social media and digital communication, it is easy to avoid potentially difficult or uncomfortable conversations. Bear is too afraid to admit his feelings to Nikki, and that is ultimately where it all goes wrong. He has many chances to confess, yet he continues to retreat from vulnerability. Even when Nikki asks him directly if he likes her, he denies it. Bear’s insecurity and fear of not being enough for Nikki are understandable emotions. However, he chooses to deal with them by escaping into his fantasy, literally wishing that Nikki loves him so that he doesn’t have to communicate honestly or face the possibility of rejection. He convinces himself that he can control her feelings instead of accepting the possibility that she may not like him to begin with. In the end, we can’t be sure that Nikki would have rejected Bear had he admitted his feelings to her, but Bear doesn’t even give her the chance. Barker suggests that the real danger is not simply misogyny in its most obvious form, but instead, the ways that it permeates, and goes undetected in, social sectors that present as ‘feminist.’ Through a supernatural premise, Barker shows how, when insecurity is allowed to replace communication and accountability, it can become possessive and destructive. To me, that is the true horror of Obsession.